Condenser.



1. F. ME TTEN.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23.1913.

1,149,276. Patented Aug. 10,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I J. F. METTEN.

CONDENSER. A APPLICATION FILED JULY 23.1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915 0 JJmz 5mm attozmw o M NITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOHN, F. METTEN, or PHILADELPHIA, PEN sYLvANIAfAssIoNon TO THE WILLIAMGRAMP & soNs SHIP & ENGINE BUILDING ooMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENN-SYLVANIA.

CONDENSER.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

Application filed July 23, 1913. Serial No. 780,683.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. ME'r'rEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State-ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCondensers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

This invention relates to devices for condensing steam and the like. I

The main obje-t of the invention is to provide a condenser in which theexpansion and. contraction ofthe cooling'tubes may be permitted and, atthe same time, the flow of steam will be broken up, by preventing theflowing of large volumes of steam in straight lines throughthecondenser.

Other and ancillary objects ofthe invention will appear hereinafter.

' In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention Figure Iis a vertical transverse section or the condenser, partly broken away;Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on a reduced scale on theline 2, 2 ofFig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a portion of avertical transverse section showing the manner. ;ot rt'ing the tubes;Fig. 4 is an endview of; structure shown in Fig. 3 lookingfronr-theright; and Fig. 5 is a detail plan view'showing the manner of securingthe tube supporting strips from longitudinal movement.

"the end caps or heads 2 and 3. Secured near Referring to the drawings,the egg-shaped form of condenser shown is of the conven-" tional typeused on vessels known as. torpedo boat destroyers, but it will, ofcourse, be understood that'the invention is not limshown a casingcomprising the straight sided portion 1 to the ends of which are securedthe ends of the casing are the tubesheets 4 and 5 which form water-tightpartitions so that the casing is divided. into a. middle chamberinclosed by the portion'l o'f the casing and the tube sheets A and 5 andtwo end chambers between the heads '2 and 3,

"and the tube sheets 4 and 5 these end chambers being fluid-tight fromthe middle chamber. Between the tube sheets 4L and 5 are supported tubeswhich open into the chambers within the heads 2 and 3, and extendthrough the central chamber. The tubes are arranged in layers, forinstance, there are the tubes 6 of one layer-and the tubes"! of tion.

' another layer. It will be observed that in which comprises the tubes7, the tubes are curved laterally in the opposite direction, and thismethod of arrangement, namely, having the tubes of alternate layerscurved in opposite directions, is carried out in the difi'erent layersof tubes in the condenser. As will beseen, the holes in the tubesheetsin which the ends of the tubes are'inserted are staggered; that is, thetube holes of successive layers are not in vertical alinement.

To support the tubes truss bars or beams 8 are supported upon brackets 9secured to the casing, these beams being distributed verticallyinsuflicient numbers and spacing to support the weight of the tubes, thenumher and spacing of. such beams being obviously dependent upon thedesign of the conof the condenser, according to the length of the tubes.Between each laye'r'of tubes are placed strips 10 which serve toseparate the layers and support the tubes in proper posi- These stripsare distributed longitudinally of the condenser, their number de pendingupon the length of the tubes, as will be well understood. The strips 10are prevented from longitudinal displacement by meansof channel bars 11which are secured to the sides of the casing and within which the endsof. the strips enter. At the top of the condenser, in the design shownin the drawings, the strips are secured at one end by channel bars as12, which may also serve as braces, while at the other ends of thesestrips" is a curved channel bar 13. Bafile plates as14 may be secured inany suitable ,m'anner so as to project from the sides of the casing,retard the flow of fluid, and direct it to the center.

The steam to be condensed is passed into the condenser through an intake15 which may be reinforced by a brace 16, which is shown in Fig. 1 as avertical plate in which are apertures 16. The steam willithen passdownwardly transverse to the layers of tubes, and will .be condensedasfiir passes down and around the cooling tubes. The condensed steamsettles to the bottomof the casing from which it may be drawn by anysuitable provision, as will be understood.

' It will be observed that as the steam protween the tubes,

gresses through the condenser, it finds no straight path for largebodies of steam bebut that the cooling tubes cross each other and areagain and again interposed in the path of the steam so that thispath'is-broken up and the condensation of the steampromoted.

It will be further observed that by the difference in direction ofcurvature of the v tubes of different layers, the condenser sides 1 maybe straight,- whereas if the tubes cases,

curved in the same direction in all layers, if the sides of the caslngwere not made curved to follow the curvature of the tubes, there wouldbe \vaste' spaces at the middle on one side and at the ends on theother. It is, therefore, with the present constructionentirelypracticableto use condenser casings having straight sides, and at thesame time. use the curved tubes which permit of ex pansion andcontraction.

' The fluid passed through the cooling tubes.

tubes and this might be effected by introducing water into one end head,passing it through the tubes and withdrawing it from the other end head.Any well known man ner of supplying and withdrawing the water I 1 may beemployed, as will be well understood.

While I have described the invention in what is considered its bestapplication, it is to be understood that it may be embodied in otherstructures without departing from its however, a circulation of waterwill" be kept up through the end heads and the spirit, and is not,therefore, limited to the structure shown in the drawings. 4

Having thus described my invention, I declare that what I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. In a surface condenser,the combination with a casing having tube sheets spaced from each end toform an intermediate condensing chamber,of corresponding rows ofhorizontal holes in each tube sheet, the holes in one row being inclinedoppositely to those of adjacent rows,

: tube sheet being inclined toward the holes of corresponding rows inthe other tube sheet, and curved tubesfitted in said respective rows ofholes in said tube sheets so that the tubes of onerow cross those of.the

adjacent rows to break up the steam 'flow from straight lines.

2. In a surface condenser, the combination with a casing having tubesheets spaced from 'each end to form an intermediate condensing chamber,of correspondingrows of horizontal holes in each. tube sheet, the holesin one row being staggered and inclined oppositely tothose of adj acentrows, said rows of holes in one tube sheet being inclined toward theholes of corresponding rows in the other tube sheet, the number of holesin each rowdeoreasing from the top to the bottom of said tube sheets,and curved tubes fitted in said respective rows of holes in said tubesheets so that the tubes of one row cross those of adjacent rows todivert the steam flow from straight lines while concentrating it towardthe bottom.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.JOHN F. METTEN.

Witnesses: w

FRANoIs L. CRAMP, JAMES H. Kmrrz.

said rows of holes in one

